WFH push as fourth wave hits hospitals
QUEENSLANDERS are being urged to work from home to reduce Covid-19 transmission during the state’s fourth Omicron wave.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the fourth wave last week following a 97 per cent increase in hospitalisations, with the state moving to amber on the traffic light system.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin said working from home where feasible could be a “simple strategy” to slowing the spread of Covid.
“I think, particularly where the job includes being in proximity to large numbers of people, that it would be wise whenever transmission increases to work from home at least for a proportion of time,” Dr Griffin said.
“It’s a simple strategy that we’re probably going to recommend periodically whenever we encounter these waves as they continue.”
In September, as a part of the state government’s easing on public health measures during the pandemic, Queensland Health stopped daily Covid-19 reporting and replaced it with a weekly report of the numbers released every Friday.
But Dr Griffin said the traffic light system failed to provide enough detail on the trajectory of the wave
Infectious diseases expert Professor Nigel McMillan said there had been “vast under reporting” of daily cases and said Queenslanders were being too “complacent”.
“The virus is going to have a grand old time because we’re really not doing anything,” he said.
“We’ve had more than 13,000 deaths this year, it’s on track to becoming our number one killer this year, and it’s sort of gone under the radar in some way.”